Ayora sits in a broad valley between two mountain ranges, in the interior of Valencia province, and the land around it has a high, golden look in summer, with fields of cereal, vines and almond trees under big skies. The town, with about 5,500 people, has a castle and a handsome palace of the Counts of Cervellón, and it feels like a gateway to a quieter Spain. To the south, the Cabriel river has cut a long canyon through the limestone, the Hoces del Cabriel, a protected area with clear water, poplars and cliffs, listed as a UNESCO biosphere reserve.
Close by, at Cofrentes, there is a surprise. The Cerro de Agrás is an extinct volcano, one of the few in the Valencian interior, and a nuclear power station stands in the valley below it, which gives the landscape an odd mix of the ancient and the modern. Cofrentes also has a castle on a rock above the village and a hot spring spa. Not far from here is Alpera, home to a famous painted shelter, the Cueva de la Vieja, and the rock shelters in this district, including the Abric del Sordo, belong to the same Levantine tradition that UNESCO listed in 1998.
Treat any shelter as a protected place. Paintings of hunters, goats and bulls in red pigment have survived for thousands of years under overhangs, and they are fragile. Many sites are closed, and the ones that can be visited are handled by local guides, so ask in Ayora or at the council before setting out. Never touch, spray water or chalk the paintings.
The riding is relaxed and rewarding. Roads cross the valley between fields and follow the Cabriel, with gentle bends and the odd climb into pine forest, and traffic is light. In summer the heat is strong, and in winter frost can form on the roads in the morning. Spring is best, with the green of the cereal fields and wildflowers. Ayora has fuel stations and supermarkets, and the local food includes gazpachos, rice with rabbit and local sausages, and the bakeries make good almond sweets.